Spot the difference: cars that share the same rear lights

February 10, 2021

Ever been following a car and thought it looked familiar, but you couldn’t pinpoint why? Many cars – especially low-volume sports cars – use the rear lights from more mainstream models to save on development costs. We reveal lots of them here, followed by where their rear lights originated from. How many did you recognise?

Jaguar XJ220

Rear lights

Creating a bespoke rear light cluster for the XJ220 would have been too expensive, so Jaguar opted for an off-the-shelf solution. The Vauxhall Cavalier was the preferred option, but as the units weren’t available, Jaguar tried somewhere even closer to Coventry.

Rover 200

Rear lights

Ultimately, the rear lights from the Rover 200 were the only ones that fitted. What’s remarkable is how ‘at home’ the rear lights look on the back of the XJ220.

McLaren F1

Rear lights

Gordon Murray and Peter Stevens went to extreme lengths to fine tune the McLaren F1 to within a millimetre of perfection, but a few things had to be outsourced. The front lights, for example, were taken from the Lotus Elan, because they were the thinnest units available at the time. As for the rear lights…

Bova Futura

Rear lights

The McLaren F1’s rear lights were also used on the Dutch-built Bova Futura coach. If you follow the words and videos of car journalist Henry Catchpole, you’ll know that TVR had previously used these units on its own sports cars.

Caterham 21

Rear lights

In order to create the 21 – a kind of more practical version of the iconic Seven – Caterham raided a few parts bins. Suzuki Cappuccino indicators and Rover 200 door mirrors are just two examples.

Ford Mondeo

Rear lights

The Mk1 Ford Mondeo hatchback provided the rear lights for the Caterham 21. We’ll return to the Mk1 Mondeo again later.

Ford GT40 MkI

Rear lights

The Ford GT40 is perhaps the best-known American supercar, but the original models share their rear lights with a humble French saloon car.

Simca 1000

Rear lights

The pretty Simca 1000 mobilised a nation of young families, with 1.5 million produced over a period close to a decade. It also donated its rear lights to the original Ford GT40.

Aston Martin DB7

Rear lights

The DB7 is the car that saved the company, which means Aston Martin owes a debt of gratitude to the late Walter Hayes, the former CEO. More than 25 years after its introduction, the Ian Callum-penned styling remains a delight, but while evidence of Ford and Jaguar can be found everywhere, the rear end features a dash of Japanese flavour.

Mazda 323F

Rear lights

That’s right: the DB7 rear lights were first used on the Mazda 323F, with Aston Martin adding a plastic cowling to alter the shape. It’s like the FedEx arrow – once you’ve seen it, you can’t unsee it.

TVR Griffith

Rear lights

Turn your smartphone upside down and the TVR Griffith rear lights might look more familiar.

Vauxhall Cavalier

Rear lights

That’s because they’re from the Mk3 Vauxhall Cavalier. For the run-out Griffith 500SE, the rear lights were replaced with round LED clusters.

Lotus Esprit/Excel

Lotus used the upside trick for the rear light clusters on the Excel, with the same units used on the Esprit, albeit the ‘right’ way up.

Rover SD1

Rear lights

In both cases, the rear lights were taken from the Rover SD1, also known as the ‘British Ferrari Daytona’.

Lotus Esprit

Rear lights

Thanks to its appearance in The Spy Who Loved Me, the Lotus Esprit S1 is one of the most instantly recognisable cars in the world. Its transaxle gearbox came from Citroen, the steering rack sourced from Triumph, while the rear lights were shipped over from Italy.

Fiat X1/9

Rear lights

Here they are on the Fiat X1/9. A case of Giugiaro acknowledging the work of Marcello Gandini, perhaps?

Bristol Blenheim

Rear lights

We suspect these rear lights will be familiar to most people, especially if they travelled on Britain’s motorways during the late 80s and early 90s.

Vauxhall Senator

Rear lights

The units were first used on the Vauxhall/Opel Senator B, which was a favourite of the nation’s traffic cops. Incidentally, the rear lights on the Bristol Britannia were from the Bedford CF van.

Morgan AeroMax

Rear lights

Carol Vorderman has won Rear of the Year on two separate occasions, but she’s got nothing on the back end of the Morgan Aeromax. Highlights include the offset number plate, the split window and the super-stylish rear lights.

Lancia Thesis

Rear lights

The lights were the most stylish part of the Lancia Thesis, and they made a seamless transition to the back of the Morgan.

Noble M12

Rear lights

The M12 was the car that put Noble on the map. The company turned to Ford for help, most notably for its Duratec V6 engines, but also for its rear lights.

Ford Mondeo

Rear lights

The rear light clusters were first seen on the Mk1 Ford Mondeo saloon.

Noble M500

Rear lights

Noble unveiled the M500 as its entry-level supercar at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. We couldn’t help but spot the rear lights, which are ‘borrowed’ from something far more mundane.